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Old 10-20-2015, 03:38 AM   #21
The Colonel
 
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Default Re: A dwarf by any other name...

What about the old Runequest Mostali - filled the dwarf slot but were actually machines, possibly the reliquae of a long dead biological civilisation.
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Old 10-20-2015, 04:02 AM   #22
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Default Re: A dwarf by any other name...

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What about the old Runequest Mostali - filled the dwarf slot but were actually machines, possibly the reliquae of a long dead biological civilisation.
In Wow, those would be mechagnomes.
Fantasy equivalents might be living elementals.

Many years ago, I tried to make magical races with stronger influences from their origins. Dwarves from stone, elves from trees, humans from corn, etc.
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Old 10-20-2015, 06:59 AM   #23
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Default Re: A dwarf by any other name...

How about making the samurai dwarfs, with a strong sense of honor, a code that demands obedience until death and a feudal system in which a mine lord gives his retinue the right to all the profit from a shaft or a vein of ore.
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Old 10-20-2015, 11:30 AM   #24
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Choose which tracts you want as a basics for these "dwarves", because is not very clear. Metallurgy, mining, big architectural underground complexes, fortified and master engineered. A lot of exractive and manufacturing activities, lot of trade of masterwork artifacts, some greediness and miserliness. If I understand it well.

From this point, go away. Keep away the most stereotypical (and caricatural) other tracts and replace them with different/opposite ones.

Cheerful instead of surly.
No beard, their chin doesn't even grow hairs.
Delicate, handsome features instead of rugged ones.
Their preferred entertainments are sophisticated - complex dances, theatre, poetry declamation and so - instead of the usual beer drinking.
Complex and fashionable clothes instead of rugged, practical ones. Practical ones are good for working, after the work you go to the baths (like Latins), and then you get oiled and perfumed and refined. Big collars of semiprecious metals and gems, silk skirts, big gold earrings, heavy make-up, heavy purple and red wigs. Take inspiration from ancient Etrurians for this, or from stereotypical 18th century France.
Give them typical weapons: spear-thrower, khopesh, trident, kalis/kris, rapier and main gauche, urumi, sickle.

Etc.
Usually people doesn't make dwarvish assumption on nice, refined, handsome guys covered in rouge and perfumes, idly caressing a ceremonial gold kusarigama while amiably chatting of the fanciest modern philosophers and poets.
I love the idea that the dwarves (Who I've desided will get a brand new name to go along with their new identity, to erase any possible confusion) will be something like a very industrialised, idealised ancient greek society. They will be TL4 in a great many things, including engineering (but not weapon and armour making, they have had no need of it for generations) medicine, philosophy, all types of research, expert knowledge, ect. They are refined, well groomed, and fond of the great pleasures that industrialised life brings (when compared to life above the surface, a warm public bath is true luxury). Warriors are rare, and all of the real protection of their lands is done through carful trap engineering, cleverly disguised tunnels, and subtle diversion of threats.

The dwarves have accumuated massive stores of knowledge on every topic under (far under) the sun. They are zenophobic, because outsiders almost always look like barbarians, but they are curious enough to send out expeditions to explore the world. If ever mobilized for war, the dwarven factories could output a tremendous amount of weapons and armour, but a dwarvish war policy is far more likely to turn towards isolation than backing one or another waring nation.

In appearance, the race is short but well muscled. Facial hair, with the exception of an occasional well trimmed and waxed moustach, is unknown. Many of them are bald entirely. Dress is flamboyant, making use of any colour that isn't rocky in tone(they have enough rock as it is!). Clothing is usually impractical, and changes often to keep up with current trends. Jewlery is (at least currently) in fassion, and the amount of gold, silver, and gems you can fit on your body acts as a status symbol. The actual value of the items, however, is irrelivant. In a few years the trend might reverse, and minimalism may into fashion.
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Old 10-20-2015, 11:59 AM   #25
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Default Re: A dwarf by any other name...

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I love the idea that the dwarves (Who I've desided will get a brand new name to go along with their new identity, to erase any possible confusion) will be something like a very industrialised, idealised ancient greek society.
You could also add dwarven automata to replace the slaves that supported RL ancient Greeks in their leisure. And maybe in place of their warriors as well - horror stories of the steel men who have destroyed previous expeditions keep raiders well away ... and these could even be warrior automata that most people never see because they are normally walled up somewhere as uncouth and prone to ruin the décor.
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Old 10-20-2015, 12:16 PM   #26
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The reliance on their environment as defense brings to mind Switerland. These not-dwarves could have a wonderful chocolate tradition to complement their facility with clockwork.
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Old 10-20-2015, 01:22 PM   #27
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You could also add dwarven automata to replace the slaves that supported RL ancient Greeks in their leisure. And maybe in place of their warriors as well - horror stories of the steel men who have destroyed previous expeditions keep raiders well away ... and these could even be warrior automata that most people never see because they are normally walled up somewhere as uncouth and prone to ruin the décor.
Alternatively, the automata could be astonishingly beautiful works of art, so much so that no one thinks of them as deadly until they're set in motion.
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Old 10-20-2015, 01:48 PM   #28
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You want to shatter the stereotype that Dwarves hate Elves then have the first "Dwarf" they meet a "Dwelf" a half-Dwarf / half-Elf mixture. Or even a village of them with considerable Dwarf / Elf residents to show their friendship.

Have several Dwarfs in the home base town show up in non-stereotypical occupations as they travel through similar to what was suggested earlier.

Another idea, use the "gutter dwarves" (I forget what they are called) from D&D and then expand the available selection of sub-types in other ways as the group gets more information.
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Old 10-20-2015, 05:47 PM   #29
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Default Re: A dwarf by any other name...

Go the Falkenstein route. Dwarves are all males, and make the Elves all the females* of the species.




* Not exactly the Falkenstein route, Dwarven women look like human women in Falkenstein.
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Old 10-20-2015, 06:43 PM   #30
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Stoneworkers. They are tall and quite strong, and have an intuitive grasp of stoneworking that exceeds humans'. Sunlight sickens them and will, eventually, kill them. On the rare occasions they go above ground, they wear thick cloaks and fogged goggles, which are (barely) sufficient. No settlement exists without at least two underground exits to other settlements, so they cannot be sieged unless you can seal them off.
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